Another pair of dark circles...
This time, however, Olivia Melianne didn't dare assume the believer needed a Sleep Talisman. What if it was another person in need of a Laxative Talisman?
She didn't rush to craft anything. Instead, she maintained a gentle smile and softly asked the believer about their needs.
"I haven't been sleeping well lately."
Hearing this, Olivia felt that she couldn't be wrong this time.
She pulled the half-finished spiritual paper back from the drawer. Keeping her hands beneath the desk, she continued to converse with the believer while resuming the crafting of a Sleep Talisman.
"I believe you need a wonderful night's rest to solve your problem."
"No, that's not it," the believer said, choosing his words carefully. "There is something I must do, but I don't dare take action because I'm afraid of failure. I've been anxious about it constantly, and that's why I'm not sleeping well. I think what I need more is the courage to face this matter. As long as I can complete it, all my other problems will cease to be problems."
The believer then slowly began to describe his situation.
It involved an investment. After various analyses, he felt the venture could bring him massive returns, but if it failed, he would lose everything.
Thus, he didn't dare commit. Hovering on the line between investing and not, his indecision made him increasingly anxious, leading to his lack of sleep.
Watching the believer speak, Olivia was left speechless. She could only silently set aside the half-finished Sleep Talisman in the drawer once more and take out a fresh sheet of paper.
This believer needed a Courage Talisman.
Olivia crafted as they spoke, completing the talisman shortly after and handing it to him.
"May you have the bravery to pursue everything you desire."
"Praise the Goddess."
The believer took the Courage Talisman with satisfaction, traced a pentagram over his chest, and left the prayer room.
After he departed, Olivia received several more believers. Eventually, that half-finished Sleep Talisman was finally completed and given to a believer who truly had dark circles from insomnia.
'Are there a lot of people with dark circles lately?'
Olivia wondered privately but didn't dwell on it. After all, the reasons for poor sleep were varied and didn't necessarily relate to sleep itself.
Then, the ninth believer entered the prayer room.
When the person walked in, Olivia couldn't help but show a hint of surprise. She hadn't expected to see a familiar face.
"Sister!"
The other party clearly recognized Olivia as well and walked up joyfully.
It was a girl who looked somewhat malnourished, her face still carrying a sense of childishness and her hair appearing a bit thin. It was Jessica Finley, who used to live on Huys Street.
Olivia said with a smile, "We meet again. Please, have a seat."
Jessica sat down and hurriedly pulled a 100-Belu note from her pocket, handing it over. "Sister, you left this at my house last time. Perhaps you dropped it, I..."
"No, that's not it." Olivia shook her head. "I have never misplaced any money. Every cent of mine has gone exactly where it was meant to go."
'Gone where it was meant to go?'
Jessica dithered, appearing to understand Olivia's meaning while also seeming confused.
She looked up at the nun before her, who wore a gentle and sweet smile. She felt as if a beam of sunlight was shining down; just looking at her gave Jessica a warm feeling deep inside.
"Alright, let's talk about why you're here. Is there something you wish to pray for at the church?" Olivia asked with a smile.
"It's like this... I want to become a bit luckier," Jessica said sheepishly.
"A bit luckier? Has something unfortunate happened to you?"
"Not to me, really. But some of my neighbors... their misfortunes have made me a little scared."
Jessica's expression turned reminiscent as she told Olivia about her neighbors.
Not long ago, it was the day the Jennings family was to pay respects to their deceased relatives. Although they were poor, they cared deeply about death; they had spent a large sum of money to bury their departed in the cemetery.
Most people chose cremation to save money, as ashes could be handled casually.
Being buried in a cemetery meant keeping the body whole.
"The Jennings family went to the cemetery intending to pay their respects, but something unacceptable happened—their grave had been robbed! The body inside was gone! And it wasn't just them; the entire cemetery had been pillaged!"
Jessica grew quite agitated as she spoke, harshly condemning the grave robbers and considering it a desecration of the dead.
"Did the church get involved in the investigation later?" Olivia asked, frowning slightly.
Stealing bodies—and from an entire cemetery at that—seemed highly unusual.
This was very likely related to the transcendent.
Jessica nodded. "The church sent people to investigate, but they couldn't find anything. At least, not yet. No one knows where those bodies went."
Because of this, Jessica believed the Jennings family was extremely unlucky.
Of course, that wasn't the only thing.
She mentioned another person on the same street.
"Daniel, the younger son of the Harrison family, became a constable last year. It brought a lot of income to their family, and many people on the street envied them. But not long ago, Daniel went missing. According to the investigation, he might have accidentally fallen into the river while drunk. It's so pitiful, just so unlucky. Without their main provider, I can't imagine what the Harrisons will do now."
Jessica sighed deeply.
Because she kept seeing people around her suffering from bad luck, she felt a sense of unease. Combined with the fact that Olivia had left 100 Belu behind, she decided to use that money to pray at the cathedral as an indirect way of paying it back.
"I understand your situation. You want to be luckier, right? Then you must remember to keep this Luck Talisman on you."
During their conversation, Olivia had quietly crafted a Luck Talisman in the drawer and now handed it to her.
A Luck Talisman was a very peculiar item. It could increase a person's luck, but even a Rune Expert couldn't specifically confirm the magnitude of that increase.
This was because a person who received a Luck Talisman might truly encounter good fortune, or nothing might happen at all, or they might even become unluckier.
It was as if the Luck Talisman itself had no actual effect.
It was a mysterious and profound item that even Rune Experts couldn't fully grasp. It didn't seem to possess any true transcendent power and felt more like something with purely symbolic significance.
Regardless, when a believer asked for a Luck Talisman, one could only craft a Luck Talisman for them.
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